


Wisdom & Youth

by Ophelia Coelridge (daemonluna)



Category: Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2001-02-21
Updated: 2001-02-21
Packaged: 2017-10-14 05:22:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 364
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/145813
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/daemonluna/pseuds/Ophelia%20Coelridge
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ray's grandfather ponders the follies of youth.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Wisdom & Youth

**Author's Note:**

> Originally printed in in Appendix A: The Anime Alberta 2001 Fan Fiction Collection.

"Grandpa!" She stands below me, hands on her hips, glaring. I've always said she looks like her mother. She looks even more like her mother when she's angry with me.

"Ah, Rei-chan, good morning!"

"Just what do you think you're doing?"

"Cleaning the leaves out of the gutters, of course." I wave back merrily.

"Get down!" she shouts. "Leave it for Yuuchiro!"

"Now why would I bother him with something I can do perfectly well for myself?"

"You're going to slip! You're going to fall!" she calls crossly, hands on her hips.

"I may not be as young as I used to but--whoops!--I'm not dead yet!"

"Get down!"

"Reiiii-chan! Setsuna says that Chibi-Usa-chan--whoa, what's your grandfather doing on the roof?" It's one of her pretty little friends, the one with the pigtails, and the tall girl follows behind her, and the bookish girl with the sweet smile, too.

"Good morning, ladies!"

"Grandpa! Now!"

"All right, all right, just for you, darling granddaughter." I climb back down carefully--no need to give her any more reason to worry.

"Flattery will get you nowhere," she grumbles, but leans down to kiss my forehead.

"The young think the old are fools. The old know the young are foolish," I intone.

"I know you're a fool. Breakfast is ready."

"Now that's no way to treat your elders," I tell her scoldingly.

"Maybe if you'd act your age--"

"Ah, when you're as old as I am--"

"Grandpa," she says warningly.

"But enough of this. I believe you mentioned something about breakfast..."

She sighs long-sufferingly.

"I'm an old man. I take my small comforts where I may," I tell her piously. Like in needling my granddaughter. "You, on the other hand, are fourteen. You know you'll live forever."

She looks sideways at her friends. I'm embarassing her, no doubt. The little one with the ponytails looks back at her, chewing on her bottom lip, eyes wide and solemn.

"Breakfast, ojii-chan," my Rei-chan says. Her voice is oddly gentle. She tries to help me up the steps, but I shake off her hand.

"I'm old, not infirm," I tell her irritably.

Children. They think they'll be young forever.


End file.
